Asian Gang Made 11-Yr-Old Girl Sex Slave in UK
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 Feb 2013
• Uzma Qazi, Daughter of another Auto-Rickshaw Driver Becomes Chartered Accountant
• Cash, Sexism and Violence Keep Women Out of Kenyan Politics
• Egyptian Women Take Self-Defence Classes to Confront Sexual Harassment
• Hyderabad's Muslims Grapple with Wedding Racket
• ‘Breastfeeding Can Save Thousands of Babies Every Year’: A Study
• Women at Forefront Glorify Role of Nilphamari in Bangladesh
• Six Get Life for Acid Attack on Madrasa Girl in Bangladesh
• Bangladesh: Two Sisters Gang Raped, Five Held
• Makkah Horrific Road Accident Survivor Dubbed ‘Miracle Baby’
• ‘Women Need Innovative Training for Top Business Jobs’
• The Afghan Battle over a Law to Protect Women
• African Female Techpreneurs Lagging Behind
• Increasing Women's Access to Justice in Post-Conflict Societies
• Nobel Peace Laureate Brings Scholarships to Liberia’s Women
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Makkah Horrific Road Accident Survivor Dubbed ‘Miracle Baby’
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/asian-gang-made-11-yr/d/10510
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Asian Gang Made 11-Yr-Old Girl Sex Slave in UK
Feb 21 2013
London: A 19-year-old girl has told a court in London how she was sexually exploited by a group of Asian men when she was 11 years old.
The victim was giving evidence at the trial of nine men accused of grooming children and exploiting them for sex in Oxford.
She said she was raped by Mohammed Karrar in 2005 when she was 11, after she had gone to a flat ‘to chill’, but was given drinks and drugs, then raped.
According to the BBC, the men have denied 51 charges imposed on them, including rape and trafficking from 2004 to 2012.
In court the witness said she fell in love with Karrar and thought they were in a relationship.
She added that at the time she thought it was her choice to have sex and it was fine, but years on she could see she never had a choice.
She said she was also introduced to other men and told to perform sex acts on them.
The witness is one of six alleged victims in the case and, like one of the others; she claimed she was forced to have an illegal abortion in a back-room in Reading.
The trial is expected to last until April. The defendants are all in custody, who include Kamar Jamil, 27, Oxford; Akhtar Dogar, 32; his brother Anjum Dogar, 30; Assad Hussain, 32; Mohammed Karrar, 38; his brother Bassam Karrar, 33; Mohammed Hussain, 24; Zeeshan Ahmed, 27 and Bilal Ahmed, 26, the report added
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/asian-gang-made-11yrold-girl-sex-slave-in-uk/1077653/
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Uzma Qazi, Daughter of another Auto-Rickshaw Driver Becomes Chartered Accountant
New Age Islam News Desk
February 21, 2013
Mumbai: Recently, Prema Kumar, a daughter of a poor auto rickshaw driver of Mumbai in Maharashtra had made history by topping in the Chartered Accountant examination. Now Uzma Qazi, also the daughter of an auto rickshaw driver of Nasik in Maharashtra has again created history by passing the Chartered Accountancy examination with distinction. This has made Maharashtra proud again.
Uzma’s father Yasin Qazi is an auto rickshaw driver in Nasik. He has four daughters and one son. Uzma received her education from National Campus School through Urdu medium. They live in a 10 by 10 room in Nasik. Uzma’s sisters are also pursuing their educational careers.
The Marathi daily of Maharashtra Lokmat has felicitated her and many dignitaries of Maharashtra have congratulated her on her success. The President of Nasik Chartered Accountants Council has offered her to send her to the US for further studies and bear all expenses.
Uzma’s success has proved that if there is a will to excel in studies, even Urdu medium students can achieve success.
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Cash, Sexism and Violence Keep Women Out of Kenyan Politics
February 20, 2013
NAIROBI, Feb 20 (TrustLaw) - Violence, a deeply chauvinistic society and a lack of cash are locking women out of elected office in Kenya, east Africa's leading economy but a laggard when it comes to female representation.
The country's new constitution guarantees women a third of seats in parliament, but two and a half years since its adoption, Kenya's male-dominated assembly has still not passed the necessary legislation to put the constitutional principle into practice.
In next month's general election only one of eight presidential runners is female, and women held just 10 percent of seats in the last parliament, half the sub-Saharan average.
"Society sees our place being the kitchen and the bedroom. Nothing beyond there," parliamentary candidate Sophia Abdi Noor told Reuters. Noor is the only woman running for parliament in the remote, arid northeast.
Hailing from Kenya's conservative ethnic-Somali community, Noor and her family have been on the receiving end of public taunts and curses since her first foray into politics in 1997.
"People abused my husband. They told him, 'Now wear the skirt, let Sophia wear the trousers'," said Noor, who in 2007 was handed a seat reserved for marginalized groups.
The north-eastern region has never elected a female lawmaker.
Across Kenya, from the fertile slopes of the Rift Valley to the steamy Indian Ocean coastline, female political aspirants painted the same picture: politics is the preserve of men in a country that struggles to deal with women in authority.
Many look with envy to Rwanda, where more than half of legislators are women, more than anywhere in the world.
There women have pushed through reforms granting them equal inheritance, property and citizenship rights. The lack of women in Kenyan politics, critics say, means women's and children's rights rarely get a proper hearing in the rowdy parliamentary chamber.
"We are a patriarchal society. Power and money are two things that are very difficult for men to let go of," said Naisola Likumani, a former head of advocacy at the Africa Women's Development and Communication Network.
GUNS, THREATS AND CONDOMS
That desire for power and money - and political office tends to bring both in Kenya - means that violent attacks, or threats of violence, against women are not uncommon.
Last month, Millie Odhiambo was seeking her party's nomination for the Mbita parliamentary constituency in western Kenya. Before voting even began in the party primary, she says, supporters of a rival loaded the ballot papers on to a pickup truck as three men in police uniforms entered the polling station firing guns in the air.
Their intent, she said, was to spoil the vote.
"I literally had to jump on the pickup to protect that ballot," Odhiambo told Reuters. She went on to win the ticket.
In other primaries, female candidates said they were threatened with rape and shunned by elders for violating tradition. One found a rival had littered the polling station with condoms with her name on them in an attempt, she said, to portray her as promiscuous in the eyes of conservative voters.
In next month's general election, 156 women will battle it out against men for parliamentary seats, a sharp fall on the 269 who contested the last ballot in 2007.
This is, in part, because another 300 will focus their bids on the 47 seats reserved for women representatives of each county, a new post. This, however, will only guarantee women 16 percent of the overall seats in the chamber.
A complete lack of political will was to blame for the last parliament's failure to implement constitutional guarantees of affirmative action, said social policy analyst Atieno Ndomo.
"People who are benefiting from this arrangement have no interest whatsoever to change it," she said.
Kenyan lawmakers are among the best paid in the world.
THE "IRON LADY"
One woman determined to shatter the common belief that Kenya is not ready for a female president is Martha Karua.
Nicknamed the 'Iron Lady' after the steely former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the former justice minister is the only female presidential candidate in the March 4 vote.
She won't win. The latest opinion polls show her with just 1-2 percent of the vote, a sign Kenyan voters are still not ready to depart from the old-boys-club style of politics that has defined Kenya's political scene since independence.
Karua's gender, and the fact she is divorced, often count against her in this deeply religious society.
"A woman is supposed to be under men," said 23-year-old Hyphe Ouya at a rally attended by Karua. "We don't believe a woman could be president."
Women politicians don't only need to change the minds of men like Ouya, they also need cash to run their campaigns.
One Nairobi think-tank estimates that the front-runners Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta will spend a combined $350 million on their campaigns, a record for Kenya.
Personal wealth and political and business ties are key to wracking up such huge campaign funds. Karua has said she can't match their spending power.
But sidelining women from politics when they make up more than half of Kenya's 40 million-strong population is not an option, says Karua.
"If you don't include women, then it is a sham democracy," she told Reuters.
"I don't want my daughter ever to be told that Kenya is not ready for a woman president. If there is a glass ceiling, I am here to break it." (TrustLaw is a global legal news service run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and covering women's rights and governance issues)
(Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Will Waterman)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/02/20/world/africa/20reuters-kenya-elections-women.html?ref=africa&gwh=50D832EEFDD3A6E1E57B0381C4AD4C2E
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Egyptian Women Take Self-Defence Classes to Confront Sexual Harassment
20 February 2013
Many Egyptian women are resorting to self-defence classes to confront the country’s growing phenomenon of sexual harassment.
The free classes are organized by the group Tahrir Bodyguards.
The aim is to combat “systematic political suppression against women,” activist Jumana Shehata told Al Arabiya. “We’ll continue to take to the streets of Tahrir, no matter the price.”
Salafist preacher Ahmad Mahmoud Abdullah, known as Abu Islam, has said women protesting in Tahrir Square are “no red line,” because they have no shame and want to be raped.
In light of the vast political and social changes taking place in Egypt, more light is being shed on sexual harassment on the streets of Cairo.
It is not uncommon for women to report verbal or physical abuse in broad daylight.
However, after the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, this problem has become even more apparent, and several NGOs have reported on its severity.
At the start of the revolution, Amnesty International detailed an incident where women protesting in Tahrir Square against the government were taken by the army and examined to see whether they were virgins.
Sexual harassment is not new in Egyptian society, but its increase has raised many questions, said Duriya Sharfeddine, a member of the National Council for Women.
“The systematic harassment…at protests must have a scheme behind it,” Sharfeddine told Al Arabiya.
At least 25 female protesters were subjected to sexual harassment in Tahrir Square during demonstrations held earlier this month to mark the second anniversary of the revolution.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/20/267351.html
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Hyderabad's Muslims Grapple with Wedding Racket
Hyderabad's Muslim community, with help from the state government, has taken steps to eliminate sham weddings, but agents who help procure the teenage girls are popping up in other cities.
By Udayan Namboodiri for Khabar South Asia in New Delhi
February 21, 2013
Until recently, Hyderabad was hotspot for a disturbing form of sexual tourism, practiced mainly by visitors from Islamic countries, especially in the Arab world.
Seeking a short-term liaison, but wanting not to violate religious prohibitions against adultery, such visitors enter into brief, arranged marriages for a fee – often with girls young enough to be their granddaughters.
Full report at:
http://khabarsouthasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2013/02/21/feature-01
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‘Breastfeeding Can Save Thousands of Babies Every Year’: A Study
21 February 2013
ISLAMABAD: A study conducted by an international NGO said that breastfeeds for the first six months of a baby’s life could help reduce the death toll of newborn babies by 4,000 babies per year.
Save The Children, a global international organisation, which aims to promote child rights and helps support children around the world, said that breastfeeding in the first six months benefits children.
The study said that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life not only improves their future growth and educational achievement, but also reduces national health costs and helps prevent malnutrition.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\02\21\story_21-2-2013_pg11_8
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Women at Forefront Glorify Role of Nilphamari in Bangladesh
21 February 2013
Language Movement in Nilphamari is glorified by participation of a good number of women activists at the front line.
At a period when the society was largely conservative, the women organised processions and meetings, and rendering patriotic songs and poems, inspiring people to join movement to foil conspiracy against our mother language, said local Language Movement veterans.
"In those days, women were mostly confined to houses. Still a good number of female activists, mostly students of Nilphamari Government Girls' High School, took active part in the Language Movement of 1952," recalled advocate Mahbubar Rahman Dulu, 78, a Language Movement veteran.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=269933
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Six Get Life for Acid Attack on Madrasa Girl in Bangladesh
21 February 2013
A court here on Tuesday sentenced six youths to life term imprisonment for throwing acid on a madrasa girl in 2010.
District and Sessions Judge Md. Ashraf Hossain also fined each of them Tk 50,000, in default, to suffer two years more in prison.
The convicts are Yasin Arafat Sajib, Bihari Sharif, Giasuddin Raju, Shajahan Sunam, Mahmud and Parvez. Of them, Sajib, Sunam, Mahmud and Parvez are at large.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=269938
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Bangladesh: Two Sisters Gang Raped, Five Held
February 21, 2013
HARIPUR: Two sisters was alleged gang raped by seven men on Wednesday. Five of the accused have been arrested.
Police quoted 20-year-old Mehreen*, wife of Jamal* and resident of Wah Cantonment, as saying that three days back she and her sister hired a pick up van to visit their relatives in the neighbouring Kag village when two men barged into the vehicle.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/510143/heinous-crime-two-gang-raped-five-held/
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Makkah Horrific Road Accident Survivor Dubbed ‘Miracle Baby’
21 February 2013
The 2-year-old survivor of the horrific road accident in Makkah that claimed the lives of his parents, grandfather and two other close relatives has returned home in South Wales.
A memorial service was held at the Jamia Mosque in Newport to remember the five members of the Welsh family who died in the car crash while on the pilgrimage to Makkah.
Shaukat Ali Hayat, 56; his wife Abida, 47; eldest son Mohammed Ishaq, 33; daughter Saira Zainab, 29; and Ishaq’s wife, Bilquees, 30; were killed when the taxi they were traveling in rammed into a concrete barrier on the busy Makkah-Jeddah Expressway.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/makkah-crash-survivor-dubbed-%E2%80%98miracle-baby%E2%80%99
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‘Women Need Innovative Training for Top Business Jobs’
21 February 2013
Women need innovative and intensive training to compete for top jobs in the business world, said Chryso Christodoulou, founder of education provider FUNecole and co-founder of Digipro computer consultants.
Christodoulou was a key speaker earlier this week at the International Exhibition and Forum for Education (IEFE) in Riyadh.
She said the business environment of the 21st century places a premium on critical thinking, creative expression and cooperation in solving problems.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/%E2%80%98women-need-innovative-training-top-business-jobs%E2%80%99
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The Afghan Battle Over A Law To Protect Women
SEAN CARBERRY
February 20, 2013
Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a decree in 2009 banning violence against women. But the parliament, which is currently on its winter recess, has been unable to pass it and give it permanence as a law.
There's major disagreement on key provisions where Islamic and secular law come into conflict. And activists say the gains made in women's rights since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 are slipping away.
Masooda Karokhi, a female member of parliament, has been pushing to get the proposal through the male-dominated legislature.
Full report at:
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/20/172491435/the-afghan-battle-over-a-law-to-protect-women
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African Female Techpreneurs Lagging Behind
02/20/2013
Mary Olushoga Founder, The AWP Network
On February 8, I saw a tweet from the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Communication Technology asking tweeps to check out it’s recently launched and newly revamped website. I followed the link to review its changes and one thing in particular stood out to me. On the front page of the site, there were several pictures, and I noticed that the pictures on the website predominately featured men. One of the pictures in particular highlights the Minster's support of one of Nigeria's leading technology hubs, the Co-creation hub, an organization supporting young Nigerian techpreneurs and software developers. This picture also features mostly men. I am left with the question: where are Africa's female techpreneurs? And what can be done to increase their participation in the tech space? In response to this observation, I tweeted back almost immediately to the Ministry, "@ngrcommtech I like the new website... now let's get more women and girls disrupting the tech space in Nigeria -- mostly men in that #cchub pic." I visited the website of other African tech hubs and notice a similar trend -- where are the women?
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-olushoga/are-african-female-techpr_b_2728195.html
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Increasing Women's Access to Justice in Post-Conflict Societies
By Michelle Bachelet
21 February 2013
For centuries, sexual violence and other atrocities committed against women were considered inevitable during times of war. Today, legal frameworks and institutions are in place to provide justice to women affected by conflict and progress is being made.
In all situations of conflict, women are disproportionately affected by sexual and gender-based violence, forced displacement, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the range of rights violations. The legacy of this violence endures long after a peace agreement is signed.
Full report at:
http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/chronicle/home/archive/issues2012/deliveringjustice/increasingwomensaccesstojustice
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Nobel Peace Laureate Gbowee brings scholarships to Liberia’s women
20 February 2013
EUROPE: Outlining what she calls “a serious gap” in conditions under leadership in Liberia, Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee is sharing her convictions that women must occupy key roles inside her home country of Liberia as she gets ready for an upcoming symposium at Leuven University in Flanders, Belgium. During the symposium, Gbowee will be focused on bringing education for young women in Liberia to the front and center as part of an international promise brought to action through Leuven University.
Full report at:
http://womennewsnetwork.net/2013/02/20/nobel-peace-laureate-gbowee-scholarships/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/asian-gang-made-11-yr/d/10510